Identification
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is a pied woodpecker, with a large white shoulder patch and scarlet underneath the tail.

The head is black and white: black crown and nape, white forehead, cheeks, and throat. The back, wings and tail are black,
except for the white shoulder patch. The underparts are whitish-buff with red

underneath the tail (vent).
The sexes are similar except that the male has a red patch on the nape.
The male Great Spotted Woodpecker is renown for drumming its bill on a branch. Their contact call is a loud "chick" sound.

Nesting
The nest is a chamber in a tree which is chiselled out by both birds.
Breeding starts mid to late April and consists of a single clutch of 3-8 eggs.

Food
Woodpeckers probe tree trunks for insects and larvae, but also feed on
nuts and berries (in the winter). Increasingly, Great Spotted
Woodpeckers are feeding from peanut feeders in gardens.